MP calls for better opportunities for the people of Barnsley

Stephanie Peacock, MP for Barnsley East, made a speech in Parliament calling for a more inclusive economy that would provide better opportunities for people in Barnsley.

She took the chance to make the call in a recent Parliamentary debate on ‘Social Mobility and the Economy’.

According to the Social Mobility Foundation, Barnsley sits in the bottom 10 per cent of local authorities for social mobility, suggesting people there have a smaller chance of getting on in life than those elsewhere.

The local MP commented on the lack of opportunities many children and young people in Barnsley face compared to their peers across the country, citing the huge inequality in both Government education spending and attainment for disadvantaged youngsters.

She also suggested that the current economy has trapped people in low paid and precarious employment, rather than equipping them with the tools and opportunities to progress enjoyed elsewhere.

Calling on the Government to produce an inclusive economy that works for people in Barnsley, she commented: “It’s completely unfair that even to this day, your postcode can still dictate your chances in life.

“People in Barnsley should be given the same opportunities to succeed by this Government as everybody else across the country – but that’s just not the case.

“Too many people here in Barnsley are left behind from early childhood and education, then trapped in precarious and insecure employment that pays too little.

“We desperately need an inclusive economy that works for people here in Barnsley; that gives our children the same life chances as others, and hard-working people the opportunity to progress and get on in life – and the Government must urgently deliver this.”